How to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)

Are you locked out of your 2016 Samsung Galaxy A3? Or are you planning on getting rid of it, and need to wipe all your personal data? Whatever the reason, a factory reset is quite easy to do once you know how – follow our instructions and your phone will be reset in no time!

There are quite a few reasons why you might want to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy A3– and quite a few different ways to do it. In this article we'll explain what they are, help you decide which method is best for your circumstances, and then show you, step-by-step, how to get the factory reset done.

Performing a factory reset – also known as a 'hard reset'– will remove all of the personal data from your device, including photos, contacts, text messages, apps and pretty much everything else you've added to the phone.

In a moment, we'll look at the various methods – but before doing the reset, you'll probably want back up your personal data first. Let's find out how!

Back up your 2016 Galaxy A3

There are two main ways to make a backup: either via an online 'cloud' service or through your laptop or desktop computer.

For cloud services, you can use either a Google account or Samsung account to back up your device. If you've already added a Google or Samsung account (or both) to your phone, then there's a good chance it's already being backed up to a cloud service.

Check this page from Samsung for a bit more info on how this works – but essentially, you just need to go in to your 'Backup & Reset' settings and check that you have either your Google account or Samsung account set to back up automatically.

If you want to back up your Galaxy A3 to a Windows PC or Mac instead, you'll first need to download and install Samsung's Smart Switch software, which you can find here for both Windows PCs and Macs.

Once it's installed, it is simply a case of opening the software, plugging in your phone and pressing the Backup button! We've got a full guide on backing up your phone to Samsung Smart Switch if you'd like more information, or to see screenshots of the process.

Remove your Google account

Like many newer Android devices, the 2016 Samsung Galaxy A3 has a security feature called 'Android Device Protection'.

This functions as a built-in 'killswitch' that makes it impossible to use the phone after a factory reset unless you know the email address and password for Google account associated with the device. You'll be prompted to enter both once the factory reset is complete – and if you don't know them, you'll be permanently locked out of the phone.

For this reason, you should make sure to remove the Google account from the phone first to avoid any trouble – and if you plan on selling the phone or otherwise giving the phone to someone else, then you definitely need to remove your Google account before doing the reset.

You can remove the Google account by following these steps:

1. Open up Settings.
2. Once in Settings, tap on the the Accounts section.
3. Tap on Google.
4. Tap on your Google account.
5. Press the word more in the top-right of the screen, then press Remove account.
6. Confirm by pressing Remove account.

If you can't remove the Google account from the phone – if you're locked out, for example – then you'll need to ensure you know your Google password first – otherwise you may not be able to use the phone at all.

Ready to reset?

Depending on your current situation, there are actually a variety of methods you can use to reset your Galaxy A3 – so look through the listed methods below and decide which best suits your needs:

• Method 1: My Galaxy A3 is working fine, I just need to factory reset it
• Method 2: I'm locked out of my A3 or I've forgotten my passcode
• Method 3: I don't have access to my A3 and need to wipe it remotely
• Method 4: My A3 crashes or is not functioning correctly
• Method 5: My A3 appears to be frozen or won't turn on

Method 1: Reset your Galaxy A3 from the Settings menu

If your phone is behaving normally, then carrying out the reset through the settings menu is fast and easy.

1. Start off by going into Settings.
2. Tap on Backup and reset.
3. Tap on Factory data reset at the bottom. You will be told at this point if you're still signed in to a Google account – if so, remove this first using the steps outline above.
4. Next tap Reset device.
5. Finally, press Erase everything to get the reset started.
6. Wait for a few minutes while the reset is performed.

Once it's finished and you're back to the A3's initial setup screens, click here to see what to do next.

Method 2: Reset your Galaxy A3 from the Recovery Menu

This method is particularly useful if you've forgotten your passcode or are locked out of the phone.

To factory reset your A3 using the phone's 'Recovery Menu', simply follow these steps:

1. Start with the phone turned off.
2. Now, hold the Volume up, Home and Power buttons at the same time.
3. Keep all three buttons held down until you see the Samsung logo.
4. Wait about 30 seconds and you should be taken to the 'Android Recovery Menu'. If your phone starts up as normal, you'll need to go back to step one and try again.
5. Press the Volume down button four times to highlight the wipe data/factory reset option.
6. Use the Power button to select it.
7. Now press the the Volume down button seven times until Yes - delete all user data is highlighted.
8. Use the Power button to start the wipe.
9. Wait a minute while the reset is carried out.

10. Once it has finished, press the Power button to select reboot system now.

11. Your Galaxy A3 will now begin to load up in its factory-reset state. It will take a few minutes for this first startup to go through, so you may need to wait a while before the setup screen appears.
12. Click here to find out what to do now the reset has finished.

Method 3: Wipe your galaxy A3 remotely

If you don't have any access to your phone – if it's been lost or stolen, for example – then you can try doing a remote wipe using either your Google account or Samsung account.

In order for these methods to work, you must have added at least one of these accounts to the phone. Also, your phone must have a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection, as these methods will not work until the phone can connect to the internet.

Both methods are broadly similar, but a Google account will use the Android Device Manager, while the Samsung account uses their Find My Mobile service.

To use Android Device Manager, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Android Device Manager site.
2. Log in with your Google account.
3. Once you see your phone, press the Erase button.
4. Confirm you want to erase all your data by pressing Erase once more.

Or to use Samsung's Find My Mobile service, try this:

1. Go to Samsung's Find My Mobile website.
2. Log in with your Samsung account.
3. Check the A3 is selected in the top-left (you may see previously owned phones here as well).
4. On the right-hand side of the screen, choose Wipe My Device.

With either of these methods, the wipe will be carried out as soon as your phone connects to the internet.

Method 4: Erase your galaxy A3 through a computer

If you can't use any of the methods above, then resetting your phone through a PC is still a viable option. This procedure will download the latest firmware for your phone and then wipe your personal data.

You'll need your microUSB charging cable for connecting your phone to your PC, and you'll also need Samsung's Smart Switch software, which you can download from Samsung's website here. Once that's installed, follow these steps:

1. Plug your Galaxy A3 into your PC.
2. Wait while any necessary driver software is installed.
3. Open up the Samsung Smart Switch software.
4. Wait for your phone to show up in Smart Switch.

5. Click on more in the top-right corner of the software.
6. Click on Emergency Software Recovery and Initialisation.
7. Click the Device Initialisation tab.
8. Click OK to proceed.

9. Click OK again to confirm the initialisation.
10. Read through the precautions and click OK again to accept.
11. Choose whether you want to try creating a backup. Note that if the phone is locked, or not loading correctly, you will not be able to do a bakup – click Skip backup in this case.
12. Wait while the initialisation loads.

13. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt if you get one.
14. Wait while the software downloads and is installed to your Galaxy A3.
15. Once it's done, press OK.
16. Your phone should now begin to turn on. Give it a moment and then check if it's working.

Once it's finished, click here to see what to do next.

Method 5: Reboot your Galaxy A3 if it's frozen

Rebooting your phone – often referred to as a 'soft reset'– should be the first thing you try if your device is frozen or has stopped responding, or if it doesn't appear to be turning on.

A soft reset does not remove any data from your device– it simply shuts the phone down then starts it up again.

1. Press and hold the Power and Volume down buttons at the same time.
2. Keep holding them down for around 15 seconds.
3. Your Galaxy A3 should now begin to turn back on.
4. Give it a minute or so to load.
5. Check the phone is back to normal.

If you don't get any response, plug the phone into a charger to and let it charge for at least an hour – then try the soft reset again.

If you still don't get any response, try reloading the software through your PC, as described above in method 4.

I've reset my galaxy A3 – what next?

If you've reset your phone and now want to continue to use it, then you'll need to go through the process of setting the phone up as if it were new. If you need any help with this, be sure to check out our full Setup and User Guide for the Samsung Galaxy A3.

If you've reset your handset because you want to sell it or trade it in, then now you should be all set! Your phone no longer contains any of your personal information, and it's safe to hand over to a new owner.

This should be all you need to know in order to wipe your Samsung Galaxy A3– but if any of the steps are giving you trouble, drop us a line in the comments below and we'll do our best to help!